Thats what friends are for

As you may have noticed, i had a few extra dogs for a few weeks. Well Gerty and Oliver have gone home, their mommy is home from the East Coast now. (Aiko is so terribly lonely at times it's sad) but one of the ways she thanked me was with yarn, and it's some amazing yarn! it's all alpaca, it's so soft i cant stop touching it! i've already started with the cream one, i'm working up a cowl (neck cozy) designing my own pattern so it's going slow but i will hopefully be able to cast on the actual pattern instead of swatches tonight after dinner! behold the power of yarn (sorry the pic's arnt great, the weather has been iffy so the lighting was poor, and it was cold out!)

i love lists

as a sufferer from ADD, and lists are truely my friend, setting goals for each day help me accomplish things that would otherwise be forgotten, or just pushed aside, for me just checking something off a list gives me a good feeling inside, a feeling of achievement, i feel better about myself when i check things off my list.

Today my list was all errands

• appointment at 0730 on Lester
• Drop key's back off to Seaside-Housing
• Go to Base Housing, drop off paperwork, set appointment
• go to hardware store for light bulbs
• BX for flash-cards
• reschedule doctors appt
• schedule Proctored Exam (final Exam)

the only thing on this list that wasnt done by 11am was the reschedule of the doctors appt. (i has to wait for tomorrow, i think they are closed) today felt great! i got done with all my errands, picked me up some subway, and came home to take a nap and not feel bad about it. (up at 0530=nap for a few hours) now i am going to work on trying to catch up on my reading for my history class because i have a little over a week until my exam. 

I'll leave you with some great shots of the Sunabe Sea Wall i took this morning after dropping off keys.

"新居" (new house)

Paul and i found an amazing house this week in the Uzeu neighborhood of Uruma City, on Okinawa. We are so excited to finally have a big place where we can spread out, have space, have a backyard, BBQ without fear of catching the balcony on fire, we will finally have a place for Aiko to play, to roam free without a leash, i can finally have my garden that i've been aching for. we are so happy, plus its HUGE, at least twice the size of where we live now, were talking 1800 sq feet! huge!!!
Some of these pics are plain and a little boring, but they sort of give you an idea of the house, we took Aiko to visit, and she wasnt happy because it was cold and empty and i think it was alot for her to take in, plus she prefers carpet to any other flooring, so we will have to invest in rugs.

From front door looking into LR 

Kitchen/side door

LR looking to downstairs bathroom/laundry room/ front door

looking from LR to Kitchen and front door

looking out back door into yard (soon to be doggy sanctuary/garden)

from front door looking right up stairs

top of stairs looking into BR #2 and Bathroom with tub

Top of the stairs looking into BR #1 (Paul is one silly boy)

Bedroom #1 (2nd floor)

Bathroom inside bedroom #1

view from bedroom #1 

Bathrrom with tub 2nd floor 

Tub on 2nd Floor (COOL!)

2nd floor Bedroom #2

3rd floor bathroom

Master BR View (thats the ocean out there) (click for the full experience & larger view)

Amazing view from Master Bedroom (3rd Floor) 

BR # 3

Ceiling fan/Vaulted Ceiling in BR #3

Ceiling Fan in Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom (same setup as spare room #3 windows in same place and such)

Paul coming down the top flight of stairs to the second floor ( i see one of us falling down these on at least one occasion)

the view from the outside, yeah it's close to the neighbors, but we can deal, its worth it for the size and the views

Aiko think's moms a silly goose for being so excited

Aiko taking in the view

A message to all of our friends and family: you MUST come visit (we may stay a few extra years so you have some time to save up) but we have PLENTY of room now, PLENTY! 

Elephant and Dog, BFF

How to ruin your sisters life Part I

i had completely forgotten about this until my sister told me how i ruined christmas for her forever when she was very young, maybe 6 or 7, as she told me the story i began to remember the specifics.

it was a very long time ago, shortly after Christmas, the two young Rhodes girls were playing with each other (or fighting, which was far more common) at some point Alana became very unhappy with her little sister Andrea, and made a rash decision that would likely alter her sisters life forever. I told my sister that there was no Santa. i'm sure my sister cried in disbelief, but i insisted on making it worse, much worse, not only was i claiming there was no Santa, but I had proof. into the filling cabinet we went, into a box shoved in the back (dont ask how i found it to begin with, i was a very nosey little kid and i knew far more than i should have) the box was full of small little papers, it's what was on these papers that ruined Christmas. Receipts, they were receipts from the presents that were supposed to be from Santa, Santa doesnt get his presents at target, but mom and dad do. i am sure there were many more tears but this was undeniable proof. And there in one final swoop i ruined my sisters youth.

i feel bad about it, especially because it obviously affected her, as she reminded me of it this Christmas, 15ish years later. i dont even remember how i discovered there was no santa, though i am sure it was snooping, finding gifts hidden, and then getting them from 'Santa' a few weeks later.
Andrea if i could take it back i would, i am sorry i ruined Christmas for you, i promise i wont tell your kids when it's your turn to be Santa, well i promise i wont tell them if they are good, if they are mean i'll ruin it for them too. (okay well not really.. maybe)

today i accomplished more that i usually do and i am so proud of myself! the day started late, again, as usual. but i got up and cleaned up the living room, then moved all the furniature around and mopped the hell out of it. i pulled up the rug in the living room and it was nasty, so that thing is going to the dumpster friday.
I got dressed and went to the 100¥ store for a few things, followed by the gym for almost an hour, i jogged/ran/speedwalked a mile in 16 min. thats good for me. i'm gonna have to work on that though if i want to do a 5K. then i did some strenght training, i am pretty sure i will be super sore in the morning, but the off chance that i'm not, i'll be heading back to the gym.
i ran a few more errands, getting dinner stuff. then i got home and started dinner. only to discover the garbage disposal wasnt working so i stuck my hand down it and pulled out like 40 little pieces of plastic and it works again!i must admit i did have an irrational fear that somehow there would be a power surge or something and it would turn on and eat my hand. but i had to do it myself (or at least try) the last time i called maintenance because it stopped working they came out, the guy reach in, pulled out a match that was lodged in there, snickered, and left. i wasn’t about to be getting laughed at again because i had crap just stuck in there.

the day ended with me doing lots of homework and some knitting. i'll post some knitting pictures later.
i feel so accomplished

side note, it was like 80 degrees here today,i composed a short letter

dear winter goddess,
i think you have us confused with Australia, were in the northern hemisphere, its supposed to be cooler. not asking for snow but a bit cooler would be nice.
k thx bai

Resolutions (6 days late)

Now that i am settled in Japan, hopefully this year wont be the dramatic up and down of emotions last year was. I am already on my way to bettering my self but writing things down is a great way to remember and stick to my goals

• Continue at UMUC with at least a B average


• Save $100 dollars a month (i dont have a steady job so this may be tough)


• Compete in 6 5k's and train to prepare myself for the Okinawa Marathon in early 2010


• Eat fast food no more than once every other week


• Continue with Rosetta stone, Japanese.


• Loose 4 pounds a month, or 30 by the end of the year


• Volunteer with at least 3 organizations


• Donate blood (in july, 12 month tattoo rule)


• Continue with my goals after the start of this years deployment.


• take 3 fitness classes a month at the gym.


• Travel off island at least once


• Be Green, Recycle, Compost, turn off lights, walk, carpool, etc.


• Knit more, way more

(cut and pasted from Facebook)

okay i lied

in my last post where i said today was boring, i lied, today was very interesting, we'll start with the zombie nightmare at 3 am, yes, paul and i were killed by some crazy mobster hotel worker guy and when the car we were killed in crashed (we were shot while trying to escape), they tried to dispose of our bodies and i said, hey i'm not going out like that (i can usually have some level of control my dreams) so i got up and was gonna fight back, and the guys said, good your a zombie, now you work for us.... yeah i dream weird and vivid.
so i woke up and was a little scared to fall back asleep, when a night begins with bad dreams they usually continue. so i sat up on the laptop until 5am took the dogs out, saw Paul off to work, warned him of possible zombie mobsters, and took a tylenol PM and went back to sleep, more weird dreams, but i dont remember them.
Got up again, this time at 1030 (damn tylenol pm totally knocked me out!) made some tea and talked to mom on scype. got ready for my dentist apt that was scheduled for 130, at 110 they called me to cancel. yeah good think i hadnt walked out the door because i was about to. so whatever.
i got off the phone and i found Aiko in the kitchen sitting on the tile (she hates tile, this was totally out of character) trembling, and looking so sad. she shakes every now and then so i called her over and she sort of got up and took a step and then sat back down. she wouldnt look at me, i thought maybe she did something bad, nope nothing chewed up, nothing doodied on, so i scooped her up and we sat on the couch, she was curled in my arms (again very unusual my aiko is a rambunctious beast even when she is relaxed she wont get that close to faces without licking) and she was just trembling. so i decided to take her to bed where we could lay down and snuggle, she didnt want to, she wanted to lay in the bathroom and just shake, she didnt want anything to do with me at this point, nor did she want toys or treats.
so now i'm freaking out, i call the vet because from what i've heard about dog seizures this can be how they act afterwards for several minutes to hours. the vet tells me to take her to the doggie er in a few hours if she hasnt stopped. i hang up, completely in tears, and run to the bathroom to check on my poopsie. she looks at me (for the first time in nearly an hour) and i collapse on the floor to snuggle her, and she gets up, walks to me and licks my tears away. I'm also pretty sure she said 'it's okay mom i feel better now' and then she went to nibble on my fingers. She's fine now, but were still gonna have a regular vet appt. to make sure everything is a-ok. now she's sleeping like an angel, well an angel with really bad gas.

Paul and i were discussing todays incident later and i remembered that about 1 i was looking for some medical records in the fireproof safe, which is behind the couch, and when i pulled it out the dogs ran back there to get toys that had been thrown/knocked back there. i also remembered that a few months ago we had a MAJOR ant issue and they were coming in through that wall, and we had practically basted those floor boards with RAID. so part of me things maybe she sniffed/licked some residual raid stuff and it just made her feel really bad. i just really hope nothing is wrong with my poopsie. she is my world. i'm gonna keep an eye on her, but not freak out and get all dog hypochondriac on her.

oh and i got my hair cut again today, shorter, i'll get some pictures eventually.

52 out of 100

bored today and not much going on, so i'll post a 'meme' (dont ask me what meme means, i found this and thats what they called it)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (PS3's rock band count?)
4. Visited Hawaii5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (Karaoke?)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea14. Gone rollerskating
15. Adopted a child16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort (Does a snowman count?)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (i'm working on this one, but i'm learning!)37. Acted in a play or performed on stage
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business58. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
59. Visited Russia60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp67. Bounced a check68. Flown in a helicopter69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square74. Toured the Everglades75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House87. Won money
88. Had chickenpox89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Had to put someone you love in Hospice Care
94. Had a baby95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Happy New Year

NYE Dinner at Sushi Zen (it was fan-freaking-tastic) 

i dont have pictures from the rest of the night yet, it was full of fun with friends, drinking, Karaoke, and more fun. it was awesome!

as for my start to 2009 there was a little hangover but not bad, and my contemplating resolutions. i'm not much for resolutions but this year i am going to work on loosing the weight that has been plaguing me for nearly a decade. i know i wont loose all of it (30+ is my goal) but damnit i'm gonna try.

• loose weight (typical resolution)
• get off the island at least once for a vacation (maybe China?)
• try new foods (this isnt hard since normally we order from pictures not descriptions, and you never know what your eating)
• foster pets through OAARS (this is still up in the air, we need to talk this over with Taco)
• i'd like to get an A average in school but thats a stretch
• knit more

not too much, and shouldn't be too hard to accomplish.
i'll close with some puppy shots, we are dog-sitting for a friend that has gone back to the US for a short stay. it's been some work with three dogs, two of which you'll see in the pictures are quite wild. but it's fun (most of the time).